Reaction to The Caretaker

This play containing three characters with an exceedingly simple plot ling and basically no comedic value whatsoever was an extremely boring read. Certain aspects of the dialogue were tortuously tediously such as the conversation about Davies’ shoes and his nagging in general. Another tedious aspect of this play was the stage direction which explained the position of every object in a cluttered room in relation to another aspect. This being said however it must be noted that all these elements which make the play so un-enjoyable are also what inform on the major theme. The recurring dialogue of Davies inspecting a handout such as the shoes and the bag and then rejecting it is intended to parallel England after WWII and the way it dealt with other countries. Even the unreadable stage directions indicate important symbols such as the statue of Buddha and the toaster. Aston’s continuous fiddling with the toaster could emphasize the repetitive nature of life and is an example of how the seemingly boring and useless repetition does in fact serve a purpose in this play. I can understand why such a play due to its underlying theme and hidden meaning would be a hit with literary critics but I cannot imagine why it would be a popular commercial success due to its obtuseness and un-amusing nature. This play contrasts with the other absurdist plays which contain funnier comedic moments with the scene with the bag being passed around failing to arouse my interest.

Summary of IOP

1. The topic I dealt with is the depiction of power in the novels The Rock of Tanios and In the Time of the Butterflies. The argument I presented is that despite differences in setting, authority is represented as oppressive and totalitarian in both novels due to the presence of tyrannical rulers. I dealt primarily with the characters of the Sheikh and the dictator Trujillo and highlighted the similarities in their manner of rule and other aspects they had in common. I used a painting by Sirena Varma as a hook and it depicted numerous symbols revolving around a crown symbolizing power. The numerous symbols represent elements of the rule of any dictator such as opposition by the people and the role of the church. I used a simple power point presentation to show quotes that highlight the similarities.

2. I think this IOP was very useful as an exercise in presenting a prepared subject to a group of people. Another lesson i thought was illustrated is that practice makes perfect and so i feel that had i practiced more i may have presented in a better manner. With regards to the hook, i appreciate the help i was given and also appreciate the importance of not simply beginning by talking but using something to more actively engages the audience. With regards to preparing the iop i now realize that maybe it would be easier to find relevant quotes had i been actively reading and underlining significant quotes. By watching the presentation again i see that im not too bad of a presenter but should work on having fewer false starts.

Multi Layered Plot

The novel Oracle Night contains a multi layered plot in which more than one story is being told in tandem with each other. Although i am usually a fan of this kind of story telling, in this case i found it to be confusing and unamusing. I found that i was unable to engage in either story as much as i would have liked. I found Sid and Gracie's story to be the more intresting of the two stories due to the mystery over the baby and the narration by Sid as well as the mystery over the Chen which i thought was not fully developed. I was unable to grew intrested in Nick Bowen's story especially after realising that due to the dual plot i was reading a book about a guy writing a book about a guy reading a book. All this made it difficult to realise where the phrase Oracle Night fits into all this with it being a title of a book in something written by Sid as well as the title of this very book, are they supposed to be the same book or something?

Making a Connection

One of the reasons why im enjoying the book The Rock of Tanios is due to the fact that i am able to identify more with the story than i do with some of the other works. This one of the settings for this novel is a picturesque village called kfaryabda which is the quintessential Lebanese village in my opinion. i myself have visited to villages such as that with a "blata" where the village children play as well some of the architecture mentioned about how the houses are constructed. Some of the characters are archetypical in my opinion such as the revered village priest as well as the "lord" who is held in high esteem and often flatered. Such charachters have survived till today however to a lesser extent and these are symbols or rural life. the interactions between some of the characters are very interesting and i am able to identify with them. one example is how lebanon is portrayed as being a battlefield for foreign powers who in this case are France and England but who today may be identified as Iran versus the United States as can be seen through their proxies in the society. The inter Lebanese tension is also something i can identify with their ill feelings existing between village of different religions such as druze and Christian villages. such animosities erupted in violence during the Civil War and even today there are still battles being fought in mountainous areas similar to those mentioned in the book which have occured during the recent violence.

Byron's Life and Work

Byron is considered one of the greatest poets who have ever lived and a fascinating historical figure as well. He is known for his epic poems such as Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and Don Juan among many other works however his personal life is no less interesting. His life is one of scandal and adventure with him having traveled all over Europe and the Mediterranean and having affairs with various members of the English gentry and even his own half-sister reportedly. Some may believe that Byron’s life has eclipsed his poetry due to his escapades however I don’t quite agree with that statement. I believe that Byron has a natural gift for poetry; his works such as Don Juan are very rich in wit and allusions. The fact that his life was so eventful and exciting only improved his poetry due to the fact that he based many of his fascinating characters and extraordinary events from aspects of his own life for example Childe Harold’s travels parallel his own. Byron’s Life did not eclipse his poetry but it enriched it with autobiographical elements. The fact that Byron was such a good poet and not just an aristocrat playboy makes his life more interesting. Because of how his life compliments his poetry and vice versa, I find both aspects of George Gordon Byron facinating.

Absently he gazes at a world in motion

People’s soul's completely invested
All eager engrossed enthused amused
They seem to all have devotion
He alone stands away from those requested
Yielding no answers, remaining bemused

My Thoughts on Disgrace

I found the novel Disgrace by J.M Coetzee to be as a whole very well written and a good read. This novels beginning starting with David Lurie's affair was very interesting and rather fast paced especially witnessing the downfall of this fascinating character. The main problem i had with this book was the noticeable drop in pace after the climax where his daughter gets raped and this caused me to lose interest in the story towards the ending. I found the ending itself to be rather lackluster where nothing is really resolved such as what will become of Lucy Lurie and if she will accept Petrus's offer to marry her. Although this lack of action after the climax may be intentional on the part of the author I did not care for it much as it did not make it an interesting read for me. With regards to winning a noble prize i can understand that because this novel is highly allegorical with numerous references to poets such as Byron and Shakespeare and many of its elements can be analyzed at a deeper level and it is books such as these which are usually considered for awards.. This book also deals with a major issue which is apartheid and this no doubt contributed to it winning awards.